The present invention relates to a coupling for a bus system and particularly to a clamping device for joining sections of bus bars arranged in a stack, with bars at different potentials separated by insulating spacers.
In bus bar systems for distributing electric power at different potentials, the bars are commonly arranged in a stack of flat bars, the bars at different potentials being separated from one another by insulating spacers.
Commercially available couplings for bus bar systems usually have a single clamping bolt or tie bolt that is inserted in specially formed cutouts in the ends of the bar sections to be joined. The clamping bolt is normally provided with a nut, spring washers, and an end plate at one or both ends to transmit clamping pressure to the stack of bars and spacers. If branch connections must be made at any intermediate position along a section of bus bars, additional cutouts are required to allow a suitably insulated clamping bolt to pass through all the bars in the stack. The insulating spacers also require corresponding cutouts at the clamping point.
This conventional coupling arrangement requires cutting or shaping the ends of the bus bar sections before installation, as well as the intermediate branch points. Any subsequent changes or additions of branch lines is difficult, time consuming and expensive. Moreover, the cutout portions reduce the effective current carrying capacity of the bus bars.